Twin Lakes Trail at Sundown

 I painted this miniature watercolor from a printed photo I took twenty years ago! I had just moved to Colorado after graduating from college (Michigan Tech University). We were camping at Twin Lakes, which is between Buena Vista and Leadville, and we were riding in our friend’s jeep to explore the area around the lakes before going back to the campsite.

The fleeting moment I’m describing in this painting is how quickly the cool shadows of the pine trees are falling onto the rocky double track trail, which was basking in the hot Colorado sun just seconds ago. Meanwhile, the mountains in the background are still being lit up. You can almost feel the temperature dropping as the sun leaves the scene. The large boulders in the foreground are everywhere on this trail, and they anchor this “Rocky Mountain” landscape. I imagine these rocks are still functioning as “off-roading obstacles” for today’s generation of four-wheeling enthusiasts.